


Welcome to the World, Iron Baby!

by polkadotsocks93



Series: The Extraordinary Adventures of Many Avengers Series [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-02
Packaged: 2018-04-07 08:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4256436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polkadotsocks93/pseuds/polkadotsocks93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark never wanted kids, until he became a father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Welcome to the World, Iron Baby!

Having children never once crossed Tony Stark's mind. 

He was the head of one of the world's largest companies, he was the authority on all things technological, and, he was Iron Man. He didn't need to think about children. Plus, it didn't help that his own childhood and idea of being a father was tainted by Howard Stark, who, while he loved Tony, sometimes put work ahead of parenthood. Tony wasn't sure he could do that. Or that he could not make that mistake.

Pepper, however, wanted babies. She loved them. Her nieces and nephews were her pride and joy and she adored every moment spent with them. Clint Barton's children were some of her favorites, too, and she adored them. So, when she and Tony finally married, she went off birth control completely. She wanted to have children. She wanted to have beautiful brown eyed Stark children. She wanted to be a mommy. 

However, that journey was harder than she or Tony could ever expect. 

They got pregnant six months into marriage. Tony was scared, Pepper was excited. They were absolutely over the moon. They found out that they were expecting a boy, quite early with Dr. Cho's technology. However, that joy would turn into heartbreak and 18 weeks, when Pepper suffered a miscarriage. 

Tony was racked with grief, though he didn't show it at first. It was actually Clint Barton who noticed how much he was grieving. Clint told him that he and Laura had suffered a similar experience, and then overcame it, naming their child to have closure. Pepper and Tony decided to name their son Andrew, and they healed. 

However, Pepper would have two more miscarriages in the next two years. It was taking a toll on them both,and they decided not to try to have children again. They both hurt more than they could express, and decided that they were happy with each other. They began to look at adoption,and then, their miracle happened. 

Pepper discovered she was twelve weeks pregnant. 

They kept it a secret until she was twenty weeks along and couldn't hide it anymore. They were having a boy, and they were cautious but elated. Everyone else was happy for them, and Tony, though nervous, couldn't be happier. 

He read every baby book, every manual, watched every video. He created a baby's dream nursery, and bought every high end device he could. He and Pepper had a detailed birth plan, and knew everything that would take place. 

However, no amount of reading or planning can prepare you for childbirth. 

They had their bags packed. They were going to be induced on October 1st. The baby was in position, and Pepper was ready. Everything was going according to plan. Iron Baby would be there soon. 

It was September 17th, two weeks before Pepper was to be induced, and her back was hurting. She took the day off (because she had been working like crazy until then), and sat down in her and Tony's penthouse to watch television. Her feet were swollen and she'd been extremely tired, and Tony wouldn't be back from Avengering until the following morning. He, Thor, Steve, Bucky, and Sam had all gone on a reconnaissance mission, and some of the others in the team had stayed. She was thankful, because that meant Natasha, Clint, Maggie, and Rhodey would be there, (along with Maggie's sister, Cecilia). Natasha, Maggie, and Cecilia were keeping her company while she watched Real Housewives of Atlanta,  and she grimaced at the pain. 

"You alright?" Natasha asked. 

"My back hurts." Pepper admitted. 

"You talked to the doctor?" Maggie asked, "I think you should." 

"I'm fine. I'm not due for another two weeks anyway." Pepper said. To be honest, she didn't feel fine, but she assumed it would pass. And for a while, it did. 

That was, until she went to get a mug of tea and her water broke on the kitchen floor. That is when, for the first time in her life, Pepper Potts-Stark actually panicked. 

First, she screamed. Then, she cried. Then, her friends discovered she actually was in labor and proceeded to get her into Natasha's corvette with her hospital bag and headed to the best hospital in Manhattan. 

Tony, as usual, was not answering the urgent calls from JARVIS, saying his wife was having a baby dammit and he needed to be there. Steve wasn't answering either, which made Natasha quite angry. Luckily, Maggie managed to get in to Bucky, and he seemed pretty tired on the other end. 

"James Barnes, what can I do for you?" He asked. He always carried a SHIELD phone on missions, one that didn't have Maggie's number because she and Natasha were usually there with them. 

"Bucky? Put Tony on the phone." Maggie replied. 

"He's flying the plane. Wants to stop off in Nassau." Bucky said. 

"Well, he better turn himself around. Pepper is in labor. We're at the hospital now, getting her checked in." Maggie explained. Bucky was silent for a beat, transferring the phone to Tony. 

"Dolly Parton, this had better be an emergency." Tony warned. 

"Pepper is giving birth to your Iron Heir. She's in labor." Maggie explained. 

Without missing a beat, Tony understood. "We'll be there in two hours." Tony said, hanging up.

Okay, so that was taken care of. 

Meanwhile, Pepper and Natasha were in Labor and Delivery, the doctor somewhat concerned about Iron Baby. 

"He's breach, Mrs. Stark. If we can't turn him, we'll have no choice but to do a c section." The doctor said. Pepper was scared, this wasn't how she wanted it to go. Tony wasn't there to help her. They were informed Tony was en route, but what if he didn't make it in time? What if he missed his baby's birth?

Two hours in, and though Pepper's labor was progressing quickly, Iron Baby was still breach. Contractions were now painful, and Pepper was exhausted. Maggie and Natasha didn't leave her side, hoping Tony would come through the doors any second. Unfortunately, he didn't. And then, by eight o'clock P.M., the doctor informed Pepper that the baby couldn't wait anymore. 

And Tony was still nowhere to be seen. 

They had prepped Pepper. She was in her gown, post epidural, and had been taken back to delivery where the doctor was ready with his team. Pepper was terrified, and Natasha had agreed to join her. They had set everything up and Pepper was ready, Natasha by her  side, to welcome her new baby into the world. And, as luck would have it, before they could begin, the door burst open, revealing a wild eyed Tony, dressed in scrubs.  

"Hold it! I'm here, we can begin." Tony said, running to Pepper's side. 

"Way to make an entrance." Pepper groaned, looking up at Tony. 

"Couldn't miss it, honey." Tony said, kissing her forehead. This time, Pepper could tell he meant it. He wanted to be there. Now that he was there, they could bring their baby into the world. 

Benjamin Howard Stark was born at 9:00 pm on September 17th, weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 20 inches long. He had dark hair, and looked like Tony's little clone. Pepper and Tony cried out of happiness, and Tony didn't leave the little boy's side as they examined him. He was perfectly healthy and alert, and Tony couldn't help but run out and announce to everyone that Ben was here. 

"He's here, everyone!" Tony exclaimed happily, "The Iron Baby has arrived. His name is Ben, and he's perfect." 

Everyone, Steve, Natasha, Maggie, Bucky, Bruce, Thor, Jane, Sam, Rhodey, Clint, Laura, and the kids, all clapped in delight. Tony couldn't think of anything to say. He was just happy. Overwhelmingly so. 

He spent the night holding Ben while Pepper slept. He was so proud of her, how brave she was. He couldn't help but love her more. Then, he looked to his tiny news son. This baby, his baby, was perfect. In every way. 

"Hey pal. I'm pretty glad you're here." Tony said, "I should warn you that I'm gonna piss you off. But I wanna be a good dad. You and your mom are the only things I can't live without. You guys are my life." 

Pepper pretended she didn't hear that last part, but she couldn't help but smile. She had everything she could ever want. 

Tony made good on his promise. He was a hands-on parent. Ben went everywhere with him. Except for the lab, because Pepper had a strict policy against it. But Tony even designed him a suit, though Pepper refused to let him wear it. Tony and Ben were two peas in a pod, and that made everyone laugh. 

Tony Stark never wanted kids, but now that Ben was there, playing and laughing and looking more like him every day, Tony wanted seven or eight little Starks running around. 

Tony Stark could be a lot of things, but everyone agreed that father was the thing Tony was the very best at. Iron Man came in second, but father would always be number one.


End file.
